Problematic Sleep Issues
by Thisisarealtagwhy
Summary: The first time it happened, nobody had been expecting it. "This is real-" Luffy cut off as he pitched forward into his dinner, face first. After a few tense minutes... "-ly good Sanji!" He continued eating as if nothing had happened, he even licked off the unfortunate mash that had ended up on his face. (Or in which narcolepsy is sporadic and Luffy comforts the crew)


Okay, i did a bunch of research about narcolepsy when i decided to do this (2 hrs ago...).

*Cataplexy means the sudden loss of movement in a limb

Toying around with the idea that Luffy contracted narcolepsy after the war of the best. so during 3D2Y. The actual plotline is set post Fishman island, pre-Z

Enjoy

* * *

The first time it happened, nobody had been expecting it.

Luffy had been eating his dinner with his usual vigour, the meat of bones ripped apart ravenously, plate licked clean (Sanji had kicked him for that) and hands wandering to everyone's plates, trying to scavenge further scraps.

"This is real-" Luffy cut off as he pitched forward into his dinner, face first.

For a few moments, there was silence before... "Oh no Luffy! Somebody get a doctor!" Chopper ran around in circles, clearly distressed.

"You're the doctor!" Came seven voices in response.

Chopper nodded and scrambled up next to his captain, checking his pulse, when deducing that he was still breathing, Chopper attempted to roll him over, in his attempts, he smeared Luffy's face with mashed potato.

But that was when Luffy woke up. "-ly good Sanji!" He continued eating as if nothing had happened, he even licked off the unfortunate mash that had ended up on his face.

The crew watched on with mouths open, confusion etched into their faces, except for Robin, she watched on in sadness, for she had already seen such an act before.

Except the man that had done so had locks of blonde hair and a top hat rather than a straw one.

Franky and Brook were quite lost for the moment, however, for the rest of the crew, comprehension was dawning on them. And pain was beginning to take over their hearts for their captain.

"Luffy." Nami said sternly, her proclamation enough for him to suck the rest of the marrow out and swallow the bone before turning to face the navigator.

"Mm?"

"What was that?" She asked it so sweetly and despite the slight tremor in her voice she held fast.

"What was what?" Luffy asked, his voice slowing down, head tilting to one side.

"You damn well know what we're talking about." Sanji huffed, inhaling his cigarette deeply.

"Luffy, I want you to answer me honestly," Chopper said seriously, steeling his nerves, detaching himself from the situation he asked "Since when have you become narcoleptic?"

The air of the room was sucked out, the crew knew what was wrong - except for Franky and Brook, but they still understood that the situation was serious enough for Chopper to sound so serious.

"Narcolepsy? When would Luffy-san have contracted such a disorder?" Brook asked, unknowingly stepping onto the minefield, Luffy stiffened a little but otherwise remained unaffected.

"Please Luffy, I can't help you if you don't tell me." Chopper pleaded.

Luffy sighed and said "Sometime during the two years training."

Chopper frowned, narcolepsy could emerge at any time during a person's lifetime, but he hadn't read about any narcolepsy occurring due to a traumatic event. Usually, because of Luffy's brotherhood with... Ace... he would've decided that it was hereditary, but seeing as they weren't blood related...

There was a slight chance that he could've had an extreme accident when he was younger, before Luffy was made of rubber. Extreme injury to the hypothalamus could cause narcolepsy... But Chopper was most concerned about the specific timing of the narcolepsy.

He wanted to say that the event of Ace dying, who also had narcolepsy had no effect on Luffy's new found narcolepsy...

It was impossible to tell without actually looking inside the brain, which Chopper did not have access to such a machine.

But Chopper had to treat his captain! There wasn't an actual cure right now but he was working towards a cure for everything for a reason! Luffy was just another reason to keep on going.

Now he had to diagnose just how severe Luffy's symptoms were. Narcolepsy could range from hallucinations, "sleep attacks" like the one whilst eating, sleep paralysis, fragmented sleep or insomnia, and even cataplexy.

Chopper bit his hooves even as he thought of the ways he could prevent the more serious side effects of narcolepsy.

His thoughts took him away from the conversation so he didn't notice the way Usopp calmly asked (but still shaking because it was _the_ name they avoided) whether Ace had had narcolepsy.

Luffy nodded silently scuffing his feet together and staring down at his empty plate.

And _that's_ when Brook and Franky fully understood the gravity of the situation.

Luffy frowned and said, "It doesn't matter when I got narcolepsy, it doesn't even matter now."

Zoro finally spoke up. "It's alright until you fall asleep on the battlefield, do you really want to be seen as weak, Luffy?"

 _That_ struck a nerve and Luffy stiffened, his face contorting into _something_ momentarily, before it smoothed into a cautious calm.

"Luffy, you're coming to the infirmary." Chopper said, pulling himself out of his thoughts, his tone brooked no argument and Luffy allowed himself to be dragged away from the inquisitive and hurt expressions of his nakama.

Chopper pushed Luffy onto the bed and took the office chair, he withdrew his pad and pen (it had been so long!) and spun to face his patient ('cos that's what he had to imagine Luffy was).

"Luffy, when did you know that you had narcolepsy?" Pen poised over paper, Chopper was ready to bully his captain into telling him _everything._

Luffy kicked his feet, staring down at them before he murmured. "About a quarter of a year after the war of the best, I was beginning to drop off during training and then…"

"Hallucinations?" Chopper inquired, he knew he had struck the nail when Luffy turned his gaze upon him, it was so… lost.

"Yeah, I _really_ got bad with training, Rayleigh noticed and the Amazonians diagnosed me with narcolepsy. Problem was, the Amazonians' couldn't treat _all_ of the symptoms so I sometimes had to deal with falling asleep. But by the time Rayleigh had left, I had enough friends to protect me."

"Did you feel excessively sleepy during the day? Could you sleep at night?"

"Sometimes, Rayleigh gave me _something_ and then I was awake. My sleep was broken up a lot, mostly by… nightmares." He sounds so defeated at the end, Chopper notes, all he wants is to comfort his captain, but he can't, he has a patient to attend to.

"Did you experience any muscle relaxation? Did any muscles just stop working?"

"Not that I'm aware of." Luffy said hollowly.

"Now, do you know whether narcolepsy is prevalent in your family?"

Luffy blinked and Chopper hastily said. "Do you know anyone that had narcolepsy in your family?"

"Hmm, I don't know about Dragon, but Jiji sometimes fell asleep but he was crazy strong so I never asked." Luffy shrugged, playing with the hem of his shorts.

"Lastly, did you have any recent, or previous serious blunt trauma to your head? Specifically, at the back, the base?" Chopper asked.

Luffy shrugged non-committedly.

"Please Luffy." Chopper pleaded.

Luffy closed his eyes and sighed. "In Impel Down, when I was leaving, Blackbeard showed up, his akuma no mi cancels out other akuma no mi, he slammed my head into the ground." He rubbed the crown of his head, frowning deeply at the memory.

Chopper gasped a little before regaining his composure. "Do you mind if I touch your head?" Chopper asked – consent was always important, especially when the patient was so uncomfortable.

"Go ahead." He removed his straw hat and allowed the doctor to run his hooves through his hair, running along the scalp.

No abnormalities along the scalp, none along the hypothalamus region either. That was a good thing, he thinks so at least.

Chopper sat back down. "Can you remember what the Amazonians' prescribed you?" Luffy wrinkled his nose as he put his hat back on.

"Nope, all I know is that it tasted nasty, it made me _real_ sleepy at night though, so it worked."

"What about the hallucinations?"

Luffy shrugged. "They went away after a while."

(In the corner of the room a man frowns at the blatant lie, he desperately wishes he could actually _help_ but he cannot so all he will do is wait and watch)

Chopper doesn't seem to buy it either because he looks quite concerned.

Now, for his diagnosis, because there was no evidence of the injury sustained two years ago, he cannot be 100% sure whether Luffy is experiencing secondary narcolepsy or type 1 narcolepsy.

"Okay Luffy, there's not much I can do except prescribe you something that will make you sleep at night and something that will keep you awake in the day." Chopper said. "You should try and meditate before bed, or do something relaxing."

Luffy nodded, as soon as Chopper gave him the go-ahead, he was out of the door.

"Shishishi, that was so serious!" Despite the smile on his face, his inner thoughts were slightly darker.

So, he stretched up to Sunnys' crow's nest, knowing that it was where Zoro would be.

Sure enough the man in question was aggressively lifting weights easily thrice his size. Zoro didn't glance up when Luffy entered, instead he grunted.

"Y'know-"

"I do know Zoro."

 _I can come to you any time that I need to talk._

 _Just give me my space._

Zoro grinned. "Anything else you wanted captain?"

"Mm, can I join you in meditation before bed? Chopper reckons it'll help me sleep." Brown doe eyes face glittering emerald.

Zoro nods, muscles rippling through his skin as he brings the weight back over in a practised motion.

"Welp, I'm off, do you reckon Sanji'll give me any more food?" Luffy grins widely.

Zoro returns the grin. "I'm sure he will if you bother him enough."

"Thanks Zoro!"

He jumps straight off the crow's nest, forgoing the ladder, he lands on two feet into the soft grass.

"Oi~! Sanji~!" He shouts, bouncing all the way into the kitchen, instead of being kicked out like he half expected, a large hunk of meat speared on a bone is thrust into his face.

"Hurry up and eat it before it goes cold, baka." Sanji says, despite the insult, his tone is warm and he sits down at the table, gesturing for Luffy to do the same.

Luffy munches happily on the bone, hoping that Sanji wasn't going to try and be mooshy like Zoro would've been if he'd been given the chance. "This is really good Sanji! Thanks!"

Instead of replying, Sanji inhales his cigarette, smile gracing his lips.

"So, what did Chopper say?"

"That I'm going to have to take stuff to sleep and stay awake." Luffy replies immediately.

"Did he give you any of the pills?"

"Nope, why?"

"So, I can figure out how to make them work with breakfast and dinner." Sanji says, closing his eyes and leaning back.

But in a second his eyes are snapping open and he leans forward, in an uncharacteristic show of affection, he ruffles Luffy hair, knocking off his hat in the process.

They're silent after that, basking in the warm, comfortable silence that has grown between the two.

Luffy chewed the remains of the bone and stood. "Thanks for the meat Sanji."

"No problem, now off with ya." Sanji grumbles.

Luffy smiles and hops back out onto deck, the sun is beginning to set, painting the sky with oranges, reds, purples. It is in contrast with the creepy indigo night sky.

Luffy leans against the railing, it's been a while since they were able to just _relax._

After meeting up, they had all been forced to leave immediately because of the Navy (stupid fake straw hats) and then after Fish Man Island, they had had to leave.

Challenging a yonkou was a nice touch, he thinks.

He knows Robin is there before he hears her.

She's purple, purple like the berries Sabo had told him not to sleep unless he wanted to die a long painful death. Morbid like her.

"Hello Luffy." She says pleasantly and he knows that she wants to comfort him like Zoro and Sanji both did.

So, he doesn't object from the company.

"The sunset is so cool, isn't it?"

Robin chuckles, "I read somewhere that the prettier a sunset is, the more dust there is in the air."

"Huh."

"You're not alone, you do know that right, sencho?" Robin inquires delicately, still watching the sunset.

"Of course," He laughs. "I've got you, I've got Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Franky and Brook."

And if the names sound more of a mantra than a reassurance, well, she won't comment.

Then he is pressed into Robin's arms, he automatically winds his own back around her. He relishes in the comfort.

He always loved getting the little hugs, pecks and lingering touches from his nakama. He needed them.

No further words are exchanged and Luffy moves off automatically, searching for the rest of his nakama, he figures they're in similar states, they need more comfort than him anyway.

Brook is sitting on the swinging chair, slowly sipping tea.

"Hello Luffy-san."

"Yo Brook, whatcha doin?"

"Watching the sun sink into the ocean, I suppose." Brook replies, melancholy filling his voice.

Luffy frowns before he sinks down into a cross-legged position next to his musician.

"Y'know, I used to watch the sun rise from a tree house. Sabo, Ace an' I made a treehouse 'cos we didn't want to live with Dadan and the bandits."

Brook is patient, none of the crew know much of his past, any fragment, they are willing to take.

"I always thought that the sunshine was eaten by a big monster over the horizon and he spat it out on the other side in the morning." Luffy says.

Brook chuckles lightly at that.

"I suppose it seems that it would, ah, but I would not know for I have no eyes! Yohoho!"

Luffy grins, silently thinking, _mission accomplished._

Brook rises and hugs Luffy, despite Brook being all-bones, Luffy feels warm and loved.

"I dedicate this one to the sun!" Brook cries and begins to strum an upbeat tune.

He dances for a while before wandering away into the bowels of the Sunny to find the rest of his wayward crew.

He strolls around the spare rooms before he finds himself outside of the library, he pushes the doors open, unsurprised that Nami's in there reading a book.

He strides over and sits next to her. "Hi Nami."

Nami bites her lips, like she wants to say something.

He waits for her to speak patiently. "I'm sorry."

Luffy frowns, he understands but he also knows that it's _not_ her fault.

He says as much. "Not your fault, not yours, not mine, not no-one's 'cept for maybe Blackbeard… or Akainu…"

He feels the familiar burn rush through his scar and a deep pit in his stomach at the thought of either of the bastards.

Nami looks like she wants to protest but instead she sighs and leans her head against his shoulder.

"It's _not_ your fault." Nami says again, repeating his words.

He grins.

"Hey do you know where Usopp or Franky are?"

"Last I heard they were in the Usopp factory." Nami wipes her eyes of the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes and gives him a quick, firm hug.

"Thanks Nami!"

 _Six down, two left._ He thinks, nodding to himself.

When he does reach the Usopp factory, it's devoid of human company.

He shrugs and goes to the next best place; Franky's workshop.

Sure enough, the man in question is tinkering around with _something,_ Luffy doesn't know what it is but if it's a weapon can he please use it?

"Hey bro." Franky's voice is devoid of his usual spark.

"Whatcha working on Franky?"

The cyborgs eyes lighten a little. "Ah, ah, I thought of a way to improve the efficiency of the Goan Canon but I wanted to test it out low-key first."

"Can I see it?" He asks excitedly.

"Sorry bro, it's super not ready yet."

Luffy waits patiently (he should get more meat for how patient he's been) for Franky to speak his mind. "Gah! I'm sorry Luffy!"

Then Luffy is being cuddled by an almost 8', wailing cyborg. Luffy just lets the cyborg release the tears that he insists are 'non-existent'.

Finally, Franky releases him and rubs his red eyes. "Franky."

The one word command has such _weight_ behind it that no other words are required to be exchanged.

Franky nods and smiles. "You got it boss!"

Luffy grins and walks out of the workshop having successfully comforted the seven of his nakama. It made him feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Usopp is hiding up the top of the Sunny, where he shares a patch for his pop greens with Robin's collection of flowers.

Instead of saying anything, Luffy clings onto Usopp's back. HE simply tenses up a little before shifting so that Luffy can get more comfortable.

"Whaddya want Luffy?" Usopp asks, spraying his chemicals onto his babies.

"Nothin', just wanted to see how ya goin'." He says innocently enough.

Then Luffy shishied a little and promptly began to tickle Usopp.

"Oi!"

They roll around deck for a few minutes, the can of herbicide forgotten in their battle to come out on top.

Finally, Usopp pins Luffy under him and ruthlessly tickles him. "No! Stop it!" He laughs breathlessly.

Usopp relents and rolls onto the neck beside Luffy, the stars have begun to emerge now, dotting the sky with silvery light.

"Usopp, it's not your fault." He's a little annoyed that he has to repeat this to all of his nakama, but he's also fine with repeating it.

Usopp just shrugs. "Sure."

"It's not!" This time it's much fiercer and Usopp flinches.

"If it's not my fault than it sure as hell isn't yours! This whole narcolepsy thing? It sucks yeah, but it's not your fault and what happened two years ago wasn't your fault either." When he's done, his chest doesn't feel as heavy.

"Maybe it was! We shoul-"

"Well you weren't, there's nothing you can do about it now so why not live in the present?" Luffy rolls over to face his friend.

Usopp stares silently into his face, searching for _something._

He sighs. "Okay."

And it's as simple as that.

And maybe he'll have to deal with taking medicine to sleep but also to stay awake.

(His crew will always be with him)

Maybe he'll have to deal with hallucinations.

(His crew will always be there, breaking through them, bringing him back to reality.)

Rarely he'll deal with the loss of a limb or have a 'sleep attack'.

(His crew will pick up where he left off and defend him twice as fiercely)

He'll have to deal with random bouts of insomnia.

But that's okay, because out here beneath the stars and the moon, he feels safe.

* * *

Some of the characters are OOC, i recognise that, but i feel like that's how they would deal with the situation.

Hope you enjoyed, if you can spare the time please leave a comment, it would really make my day.


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